Thursday, October 20, 2011

Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros: Familiar design and layout, works great for titles that support it

Cons: Many titles (including all GameCube titles) not supported

Introduction

The Nintendo Wii Classic Controller
Pro was a great decision on the part of Nintendo. I'm all for these new
ways of controlling games like the Nintendo Wii Remote and the Microsoft
Kinect, and maybe one day we'll have advanced far enough to plug a
cable into our temple and play the game in a dream world. In the mean
time, however, some things just tend to work better with a normal
controller. Whether that's because the games for the last few
generations have been designed with the same basic controller types in
mind, or whether we as gamers have just become accustomed to controlling
games in a certain way, the end result is the same. Most of the
Nintendo Wii titles are either cheesy casual games that only support the
Wii Remote in a very basic way that would work equally well with a
classic controller, or they're higher production games that throw in
various motion controlled gimmicks to justify the new controller. Either
way, I find myself letting my Wii collect dust because the Wii Remote
just doesn't offer many distinct advantages over the regular controllers
of other consoles. Even when it does manage to get something right,
it's either not quite accurate enough to make it worth bothering or
suffers from just enough latency to make it useless.

The most use
my Wii Remote gets these days is to browse around on Netflix. I still
try out games here and there that require the Wii remote, but I almost
always rent them before I buy them to see if it's worth attempting to
play with a ridiculous control scheme. I keep buying a game here and
there that specifically says it works with the Classic Controller, and
most of those games have been decent... but many are virtual console
games that were previously released for the earlier Nintendo game
consoles or the Sega Genesis.

Description

The
Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro looks and operates similarly to any
other current generation console controller. It features a directional
pad on the left and four digital buttons on the right in a diamond
pattern similar to a SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) or
Playstation controller that are labeled X, Y, A and B. It also features
two analog control sticks at the bottom of the controller, and these are
spaced out similarly to a Playstation controller. The original Wii
Classic Controller also had two analog sticks, but they were closer
together and uncomfortable to use. The original Wii Classic Controller
also had L and R shoulder buttons, as well as ZL and ZR buttons beside
them placed closer to the center of the controller top. The Classic
Controller Pro moved these ZL and ZR buttons underneath the L and R to
form two rows of shoulder buttons like all the other current generation
controllers have. This makes it easier and more convenient to play
multi-platform games that were also released on one of the Playstation
or Xbox consoles.

The power cord on the original Classic
Controller stuck out of the bottom of the controller instead of the top.
I really never liked this, and it's one of the things I always hated
about the Sega Dreamcast controller. Thankfully the Classic Controller
Pro fixed this problem as well by making the cord come out the top of
the controller. This controller is also comparable in size to a standard
Playstation or Xbox controller, where as the original Classic
Controller was flatter and lacked the ergonomic handles/grips/wings of
the Classic Controller Pro. It is a little lighter than the Sony or
Microsoft competitors, but it's light weight does not come at the
expense of durability or make it feel cheap.

The Classic
Controller Pro isn't wireless, but it's the next best thing. The three
foot cord that comes out the top plugs directly into the bottom of your
Wii Remote just like the Nunchuck, which at least allows you to sit
across the room without stretching a cord across the floor for people to
trip on. My only problem has been accidentally standing up, forgetting
the Wii Remote was in the chair next to me and leaving it dangling in
the air by the cord while I was holding the Classic Controller Pro.
Oops.

Games

Sadly, most Nintendo Wii games do not
support the Wii Classic Controller Pro. All Virtual Console games
support it, as well as some WiiWare titles. Thankfully a few of the Role
Playing Games on the Wii support it, which was my main concern. Arc
Rise Fantasia, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon,
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Monster Hunter Tri, Rune Factory Frontier,
Tales of Graces, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga... all good to go.

While
RPGs may seems an obvious choice for Classic Controller support, there
are other genres represented by titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops,
Madden 12, Need for Speed: Undercover, Samurai Warriors 3, Super Smash
Bros. Brawl and WWE All Stars. Unfortunately the Classic Controller Pro
does not work at all with Nintendo GameCube titles, so if you were
thinking of picking one up to play through your GameCube library
semi-wirelessly, think again.

Final Thoughts

I love
the Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro, I only wish it supported more
titles. Not liking the gimmicky motion-sensitive Wii Remote nearly as
much as I initially thought I might, I'm thankful that Nintendo came out
with a decent classic controller with a familiar design and layout so
that I can play as many titles as possible with it instead.

If
you have a Nintendo Wii and don't care for the Wii Remote, or if you
plan on playing a lot of Virtual Console titles, definitely pick up a
Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro. If you don't use the Virtual
Console much, make sure to check your games for Classic Controller
support before you waste your money.